The best visualizations communicate complex subjects with evocative images, enlightening illustrations, and engrossing interactive media–all things we value tremendously at Popular Science. So we’re especially pleased to partner with the National Science Foundation to award the Vizzies. The international competition, which the agency has led for more than a decade, recognizes the finest illustrations, photographs, videos, graphics, and apps, whether produced by academic researchers, artists, or hobbyists.
How We Chose The Winners
During two rounds of judging, science and visualization experts at the National Science Foundation and Popular Science winnowed 303 entries to 50 finalists, 10 in each category. To arrive at the Experts’ Choice, a panel of final-round judges rated the visualizations on their artistic merit and communication excellence. Readers voted online for the People’s Choice. Each of the winners was vetted for accuracy by independent experts.
The Final-Round Judges
David Bolinsky, medical animator and co-founder of e.mersion studios
Bennett Foddy, professor of game design at New York University’s Game Center
Soraya Gage, general manager of NBC Learn, an NBC News division
Lena Groeger, science journalist and news apps developer at ProPublica
Robert Kosara, research scientist at Tableau Software
Marcia Rudy, special exhibitions and programs at the New York Hall of Science
Rita Teutonico, executive associate director of the School of Environment, Arts, and Society at Florida International University
Jan Willem Tulp, head of the data visualization studio TULP Interactive
The Winners
Photography
Expert’s Choice: False-Color X-Ray Of A Snapping Turtle, by Ted Kinsman
People’s Choice: Alcian Blue And Alizarin Red Chameleon, by Elizabeth Marchiondo and Andrew Gillis
Illustration
Expert’s Choice & People’s Choice: Neuroforest, by Matteo Farinella
Honorable Mention: Juan Fernández Firecrown, Cabbage Tree, by Juan Luis Castillo
Video
Expert’s Choice: Beautiful Chemistry, by Yan Liang, Xiangang Tao, Wei Huang, Edison (Qi) Zheng, and Jiyuan Liu
People’s Choice: How Origami Is Inspiring Scientific Creativity, by Larry Howell, Julie Walker, Robert Lang, Spencer Magleby, and Brian Wilcox
Posters & Graphics
Expert’s Choice: Hippocampal Neurons, by Robert E. Clark
People’s Choice: From Icefield To Ocean, by Kristin Timm, Shad O’Neel, Allison Bidlack, and Eran Hood
Games & Apps
Expert’s Choice: Glassbrain, by Adam Gazzaley, Roger Anguera-Singla, Rajat Jain, Tim Mullen, Christian Kothe, John Fesenko, Oleg Konings, Matt Omernick, and David Ziegler
People’s Choice: NASA Visualization Explorer, by Goddard Space Flight Center’s NASA Viz Group; Helen-Nicole Kostis, project manager
—Additional reporting by Alexandra Ossola, Neel V. Patel, and Katie Peek
This article was originally published in the March 2015 issue of Popular Science, under the title “The 2015 Vizzies.”
